CLICK ON A PROMPT TO COPY IT TO THE CLIPBOARD!
Detailed Prompts for School Support Staff
These prompts are designed to assist school support staff in efficiently completing various administrative and analytical tasks using AI tools. Remember to always review and edit the AI’s output to ensure accuracy, appropriateness, and adherence to school policies.
1. Composing Emails
Goal: To draft professional and clear emails for various school stakeholders (parents, teachers, external partners).
General Approach: Provide the key information, desired recipient, and the purpose of the email. Specify the tone if necessary.
Prompt Examples:
- Prompt 1.1 (Parent Communication – Event Reminder): “Compose an email to parents/guardians of Year 10 students reminding them about the upcoming Parents’ Evening on [Date] from [Start Time] to [End Time] in the School Hall. Include a link to the booking system: [Link to Booking System]. Advise them to book their slots by [Booking Deadline Date]. The tone should be friendly yet formal and informative. Subject: Reminder: Year 10 Parents’ Evening”
- Prompt 1.2 (Internal Staff Communication – New Policy): “Draft an email to all teaching staff regarding the new school policy on safeguarding incident reporting, effective from [Start Date]. Briefly explain that the new policy streamlines the reporting process and is available on the staff portal under ‘Policies’. Encourage them to read it and direct any questions to [Relevant Department/Person] or attend the briefing on [Briefing Date/Time]. The tone should be clear and professional. Subject: New Safeguarding Incident Reporting Policy”
- Prompt 1.3 (External Communication – Supplier Inquiry): “Write an email to ‘School Supplies UK’ inquiring about the delivery status of order #[Order Number], placed on [Order Date]. We are awaiting [Specific Items, e.g., 50 new textbooks for English]. Request an estimated delivery date. The tone should be polite and professional. Subject: Inquiry: Order #[Order Number] Delivery Status”
2. Changing the Tone of Emails
Goal: To adjust the emotional or formal quality of an existing email while retaining its core message.
General Approach: Provide the original email and state the desired tone (e.g., more empathetic, more assertive, less formal, highly professional).
Prompt Examples:
- Prompt 2.1 (From Formal to More Empathetic): “Take the following email and rewrite it to be more empathetic and understanding, while still conveying the necessary information about a missed deadline.<br><strong>Original Email:</strong> ‘Dear Parents, This is a reminder that the deadline for consent forms was yesterday. Forms not submitted will result in students being unable to participate in the trip. Please submit immediately.’ <strong>Desired Tone:</strong> Empathetic, understanding, but firm on the necessity of submission. Subject: Important: Consent Forms for [Trip Name]”
Prompt 2.2 (From Casual to Professional): “You have access to an attendance spreadsheet with columns: ‘Student ID’, ‘Student Name’, ‘Date’, ‘Registration Mark (e.g., / for present, N for absent, L for late)’.<br>For the month of [Month, Year], generate a summary report that includes:<br>Any noticeable trends (e.g., increased lates on Mondays).<br>Present this as a brief report with clear headings and numerical data. Include – 1. Overall attendance percentage for the month. 2. Number of unauthorised absences. 3. Number of authorised absences. 4. List of 5 students with the lowest attendance for the month (provide Student ID and attendance percentage).
Prompt 2.3 (From Neutral to More Urgent/Action-Oriented): “Revise this email to convey a greater sense of urgency and call to action regarding overdue library books.<br><strong>Original Email:</strong> ‘To students, Please return any library books you have borrowed at your convenience. Thank you.’ <strong>Desired Tone:</strong> Urgent, clear call to action, polite but firm. Subject: Urgent: Overdue Library Books”
3. Translating Documents
Goal: To accurately translate text from one language to another.
General Approach: Clearly state the source language, target language, and provide the text to be translated. Specify any nuances or context if important.
Prompt Examples:
- Prompt 3.1 (English to Polish – School Letter Excerpt): “Translate the following paragraph from English to Polish, ensuring it maintains a formal and supportive tone for parents.</li> <li><strong>English Text:</strong> ‘We understand that starting a new school year can be a period of adjustment for both students and families. Our dedicated pastoral team is here to support your child’s transition and well-being throughout their time with us. Please do not hesitate to contact their form tutor or the Head of Year if you have any concerns.’ <strong>Target Language:</strong> Polish”
Prompt 3.2 (French to English – Student Report Snippet): “Translate this excerpt from a student’s academic report from French to English.<br><strong>French Text:</strong> ‘Pierre a démontré une amélioration significative dans sa compréhension de la lecture et sa participation en classe ce trimestre. Il doit cependant travailler sur la précision de son orthographe.’ <strong>Target Language:</strong> English”
Prompt 3.3 (Spanish to English – Health Form Instructions): “Translate the following instructions from a health information form from Spanish to English.<br><strong>Spanish Text:</strong> ‘Por favor, indique cualquier alergia conocida o condición médica preexistente en el espacio provisto. En caso de emergencia, contacte a [Nombre del contacto de emergencia] al número [Número de contacto].’ <strong>Target Language:</strong> English”
4. Bringing Information from Various Sources into One Document
Goal: To synthesize disparate pieces of information into a cohesive and structured document.
General Approach: Provide the source materials (or descriptions of where to find them), the desired output format, and the key information to extract and combine.
Prompt Examples:
- Prompt 4.1 (Consolidate Induction Materials): “Combine the key information from the ‘New Staff Welcome Pack (PDF)’, the ‘IT Systems Access Guide (Word Doc)’, and the ‘Safeguarding Policy Summary (Email)’ into a single, concise ‘New Staff Induction Checklist’. The checklist should cover essential actions for a new staff member’s first week, including HR forms, IT logins, key contacts, and mandatory training. Format as a bulleted list under clear headings.”
- Prompt 4.2 (Summarise Parent Feedback): “Review the following three sources of parent feedback:</li> <li>Summary of Parent Survey responses (provided as text)</li> <li>Notes from the recent PTA meeting (provided as text)</li> <li>Selected parent emails to the school office (provided as text)<br>Create a single document titled ‘Summary of Parent Feedback – Spring Term’. Identify the top 3 recurring themes or concerns from these sources. For each theme, provide 2-3 supporting examples/quotes from the sources. Format as a short report with an introduction, themed sections, and a brief conclusion.”
Prompt 4.3 (Compile Curriculum Overview): “From the attached Year 7 English, Maths, and Science curriculum outlines (assume these are separate documents you can access), compile a ‘Year 7 Core Subjects Overview’. For each subject, briefly describe the main topics to be covered in each term (Autumn, Spring, Summer). Use a table format for clarity: | Subject | Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |—|—|—|—| Ensure key learning objectives are captured succinctly.”
5. Analyse Data Quickly and Create Attendance Summaries from Data/Spreadsheets
Goal: To extract, analyze, and summarize key attendance trends from raw data, presenting it clearly.
General Approach: Describe the data available (columns, format) and what specific insights are needed. Specify the desired output format.
Prompt Examples:
- Prompt 5.1 (Monthly Attendance Summary): “You have access to an attendance spreadsheet with columns: ‘Student ID’, ‘Student Name’, ‘Date’, ‘Registration Mark (e.g., / for present, N for absent, L for late)’.</li> <li>For the month of [Month, Year], generate a summary report that includes:</li> <li>Overall attendance percentage for the month.</li> <li>Number of unauthorised absences.</li> <li>Number of authorised absences.</li> <li>List of 5 students with the lowest attendance for the month (provide Student ID and attendance percentage).</li> <li>Any noticeable trends (e.g., increased lates on Mondays).<br>Present this as a brief report with clear headings and numerical data.”
Prompt 5.2 (Year Group Attendance Comparison): “Given attendance data for all year groups, with columns ‘Year Group’, ‘Date’, ‘Student ID’, ‘Attendance Status (Present/Absent/Late)’. Create a comparison of attendance percentages for Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 for the past academic term (e.g., Autumn Term). Identify which year group had the highest and lowest attendance. Provide the data in a clear table format and a brief interpretive paragraph highlighting any significant differences.”
Prompt 5.3 (Impact of Interventions on Attendance): “We implemented an attendance intervention program for 15 specific students from [Start Date of Program] to [End Date of Program]. You have their attendance records before the program (e.g., ‘Student ID’, ‘Pre-Program Attendance %’) and during the program (‘Student ID’, ‘During-Program Attendance %’). Analyse this data to determine if the intervention had a positive impact. Calculate the average attendance percentage change for these students. List any students whose attendance significantly improved (e.g., by more than 5%) and any who showed no improvement. Present your findings in a concise memo to the Head of Pastoral Care.”
Remember, the more specific and detailed you are in your prompts, the better the AI’s output will be. Encourage your staff to experiment with different phrasings and to provide feedback on what works best for their tasks.
